Audio Video News

The Big Monkey Of High-Def
HD DVD player owners (and the format itself) are getting an early Christmas present on November 14th when Universal will release Peter Jackson's smash remake of King Kong on the fledgling HD disc format. The suggested list price is $29.98. Few details on the release are available, and it's not known if Peter Jackson's extended cut, scheduled for release on DVD on the same day, will be included on the HD DVD.

Although the day and date HD DVD release of Mission: Impossible 3 on October 30th is certainly a milestone for format, it's safe to say that the release of a bona fide blockbuster such as Kong is just as compelling.

I'll also be curious to see if Kong and whatever extras are to be included will fit onto a single 30GB dual-layer HD DVD disc. The theatrical cut by itself is a healthy three hours and change, and who knows how long the extended cut runs. If it is a multi-disc set it won't be the first: reports are that M: I3's Blu-ray and HD DVD releases will also be multi-disc sets.

This is the kind of thing we've expected and hoped for this holiday season. While there have been solid releases on both Blu-ray and HD DVD, there have also been a number of uninspiring B-and C-level action movies too. Retailers and consumers alike are likely to become increasingly jazzed for both formats as the bigger guns in the studio catalogs and new releases start to pour in.

Oh, and speaking of less inspired releases, dry land is not a myth! Kevin Costner's aqua debacle Waterworld (also known as Fishtar in some quarters) will also hit stores on HD DVD on November 14th, along with Ang Lee's Hulk. On the plus side, Waterworld was a reference quality picture and sound experience on both Laserdisc and DVD, so if nothing else we've got some new demo material coming our way.